Motherhood Changes You: Here’s How.

Motherhood is an experience unlike any other. It has changed me physically, emotionally, and mentally. 

Now that I’m a mom, I’m different in lots of ways.

I have a curfew. So don’t plan to invite me out past like 6:00 PM. My kids are in bed by 8:00, which mean’s I’m used to going to bed around that time as well.

I expect you to leave my house at a decent hour. I hate to break it to you friends, but even though I love you and want to see you, after that baby goes to bed I don’t want to stay up talking much later!

And chances are my bra is coming off around that time too. Be prepared. 

It goes without saying for most moms, especially moms of newborns: our early bedtimes are precious!

I talk about poop often. After my daughter pooped so violently it shot against her bedroom wall, I was done keeping her poop a secret. Not only was it disgusting, it was hilarious!

And the story needed to be shared.

So now, I might just tell you that when my daughter eats mandarin oranges they reappear in her diaper.

I’ve only got kid tunes in my head. My kids don’t typically listen to the radio, so we listen to the Disney station on Pandora. Now the blasted Hot Dog song is forever on repeat in my head.

I cry easier. I can’t help it. Being a mom has made me such a softy.

Before motherhood, you would never see me cry.  

Now, all it takes is for my daughter to wave at me or smile at me for no reason and I lose it.

Let’s just say I’ve got really clean eyes now.

I’m harder on myself now. Raising a human being is hard work. There’s a lot of pressure to not screw them up, and to raise them the right way. We do our best, but their little minds decide to do whatever they want anyway.

I know a lot now. Birthing a child is not something to take lightly. I don’t claim to know everything, but I do know what it feels like to labor for 20+ hours, push a baby out my lady parts, sit through stitches, and then take care of said baby while I’m in recovery.

I can tell you things I’ve learned about breastfeeding, indigestion in infants, sleeping through the night, and what worked and what didn’t. I learned a lot because there were so many things I didn’t know before becoming a mom.

My body has changed. Regardless of how much weight I put on during pregnancy, every part of my body has changed because of it.

I’ve got scars that have stretched, a belly button that has flipped inside out, sides that have itched as they accommodated a growing belly, and boobs that have found a way to produce sustaining milk for my babies.

It’s truly amazing.

I love harder now. There are days when I feel like I am at my wits end with everything: my kids are screaming for no reason, the house is a mess, the cats are dragging pieces of litter through every room, and my hair won’t stay up.

It’s in these moments that I feared I would have a hard time feeling love for my children.

Honestly. I mean, it’s hard to be fond of people that seem to intentionally drive you nuts. But you know what? It hasn’t been that hard to do.

Unconditional love is hard to describe because it just happens. I never tried to make it happen, it was already there when I needed it. It doesn’t change after my kids do something I literally told them 5 minutes ago not to do (thankfully for them). 

A mother’s love is hard to put into words. But now that I’m a mom, I’ll try. 

Tell me, moms – what’s different about you now?